I have never been a fan of any specific music genre. Fan is the operative word here, originating from the word, fanatic. I've subsisted for years on the drone of NPR and small doses of Israeli music, classic and Southern rock, heavy metal, and country. Occasionally I would dip into the bucket of my teenage angst that is a gruesome brew of folk, new wave, punk, acid rock, and a whole lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers. So what happened?
Three things happened within a few months that turned me from casual music listener to country music fan.
1. My husband bought me an ipod for my birthday, and when I filled it with podcasts of This American Life and my old tired music collection, it became apparent that if I didn't start listening to brand new music, my demise was going to be premature death by boredom.
2. NPR had a fund drive that got on my nerves to such a degree that I tuned into country radio and never looked back. I still have an ear open for good things happening in other genres, and listen to classic rock, but as I've noticed, classic rock just means old popular music, much of which I didn't like when it first came out. Given a choice, I'll almost always choose to listen to a new country song.
3. A review in the News and Observer of Joe Nichols' album Old Things New got my attention, and when I listened to it, I fell head over heals in love, not with him, with the music. I can't imagine a life worth living that does not include an intra-ear drip of similar sounds. Today is, coincidentally, the one year anniversary of that review.
I met Joe Nichols briefly in May. He did a show in a bar in my hometown. I brought the only other Joe Nichols admirer I know, my daughter's 1st grade teacher, along for the almost two hour drive and overnight at my Mom's. After an excellent show we stood in the slow moving meet and greet line to say hello and get an autograph. By the time we got to the front I forgot to tell him what I wanted to say, that I love his voice. It would have been nice to have remembered to say that his album changed my life; that this album was the one that made me realize how much I truly enjoy country music. He comes across as a down to earth guy, so he may have appreciated the compliment.
That's the last meet and greet line I'm ever standing in. Unless I run into him on the street or this blog finds its wings, takes off and scores me a press pass one day, this post will have to suffice as my expression of gratitude to Joe Nichols (and NPR). My husband has been thanked many times for the ipod.
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